In retrospect, running on nearly four days with virtually no sleep probably wasn't her smartest decision. To be fair, four days to her wasn't the same as four days for a normal person (more like a day really...maybe a day and a half). She wasn't normal, after all, and those kinds of limitations were insulting. However, genetically superior being or not, she wasn't without her weaknesses. Even she needed to sleep eventually...
Shara thought she had a perfectly valid reason for being a little restless, though. Finding out your neighbor was a literal dark lord tended to give one insomnia. No, no, those hours were much better put to use obsessively redoing research to look for missed information.
Knowledge equated power, and Shara desperately needed an edge here. Facts were an absolute necessity, anything to prevent her from further stumbling around in the dark. Unlike a Sith, she wasn't likely to derive any insight or profound wisdom from sleeping and dreams.
Let the galaxy tremble if she ever gained that advantage.
She couldn't put her body's needs off forever, though, even if she did consider rest a waste of already too limited time.
Her awkward conversation with Keeper made that clear enough. Maybe he hadn't quite pieced together why she'd nearly tripped over her own feet trying to escape from his office just now. Perhaps he hadn't detected the nervousness in her voice when she'd started babbling.
Two found it humiliating to dwell on her, frankly absurd, misinterpretation of his words.
Keep your mind out of the gutter. You've been spending far too much time talking with Six.
She dearly hoped the Cipher never had a chance to find out the vague, half developed thought that had run, panicked, across her mind when Keeper took advantage of a private meeting to start a discussion on additional needs she was expected to fulfill.
Damn. If most other people didn't unsettle and mildly disgust her, she might have considered picking one of them to spend time with. Maybe some recreational activities would banish the disturbing conclusions her subconscious devised in her sleep deprived state.
Then again, she had absolutely no idea how she'd even approach that kind of thing, so perhaps it was best avoided altogether. Even if she had been able to figure it out, the fact remained that she...found other people both unsettling and mildly disgusting. Little bit of cognitive dissonance there. Also, socially maladapted or not, she knew she wasn't imaging Fort's eyes currently wandering away from her own in an uncomfortable trek down her body.
"Was there something you needed, Agent?"
"Hmm?" his gaze took longer than normal to snap back to her own. Funnily enough, she thought he might have been unaware of it himself. He certainly seemed a little flustered all of a sudden. "Ah, I forgot." Smiling apologetically, he shrugged, rubbing at the back of his head. "What'd Keeper want, anyway?"
"Just checking in," she brushed him off. Fort didn't press the issue. Intelligence operatives were used to working on a need to know basis, and his curiosity had been passing at best.
"Probably making sure you're not planning to murder us all and start a rebellion," he joked.
"I'd only need to kill some of you for that," she replied brightly.
Fort stared at her, fingers tangled in his hair. Then an almost childish grin crossed his face. "Was that a joke, then? Never heard you try to do that before. Who've you got on your list then? Let's see it."
"Agent Forty-Six," Minder Twelve's voice was cold.
"Me? Suppose I should have seen that coming," Fort's eyes widened in mock surprise before he winked at her and turned to address the Minder. "Wotcher, Twelve. You sneaking about again?" Fort asked cheekily.
The Minder scoffed. "You're the one who sneaks, Agent. I don't have to resort to such tactics to gain my information. However, I am curious about why," his eyes flickered to Two, settling the full weight of his disdain on her, "you're having this conversation in the middle of Intelligence Headquarters. Perhaps you think it's funny to joke about such things, Watcher Two? Unwise, considering your...position," he trailed off meaningfully. Fort frowned faintly, letting his hand drop down to his side.
"Lay off, Twelve."
"On the contrary," the Minder answered firmly, his eyes never straying from Shara's. "I won't shirk my duties. Unlike some, I actually grasp that this is far more than a simple job. However, I'd recommend the two of you," he shot a withering look at Fort, "get back to doing yours."
Fort waited till Twelve had turned around to throw a rude gesture at his back. "He's bundles of fun at parties. The absolute best at drinking games, I swear."
"I'll have to take your word for it. If you'll excuse me," Shara had just caught sight of Watcher Three, and she didn't feel like pressing her luck.
Sadly, she wasn't destined to escape without notice, as Watcher Three didn't appear to have the same reservations about speaking with her. She made a beeline for Shara's station, lips pursed in a thin line and amber eyes flashing with barely repressed annoyance. She drew to a halt so abruptly, Two half expected her to stumble.
Shara winced, flinching back instinctively as the woman suddenly rounded on her. Though several inches shorter, Three was more than a little terrifying up close and angry. Watcher Two realized very quickly that the bad attitude she'd become accustomed to barely scratched the surface on Three's temperament.
"You absolute moron!" Three hissed. Her lips drew back in a nasty sneer as she glowered at Two.
"That's the last thing I am," Shara replied automatically. Her hand twitched at her side, and she barely restrained the urge to place it on Three's shoulder and push her away. The auburn haired woman was far to close for comfort. Like most people, Shara had an invisible comfort radius when it came to social interactions. Unlike most people, hers usually extended about ten feet. Minimum. Three was practically on top of her, and it was most definitely not alright.
Shara gritted her teeth, breathing in deeply through her nose and exhaling slowly. No reason to let those mandatory meditation practices go to waste. Her handlers had certainly had their work cut out for them. Beating calmness and self control into her during her teenage years must have been nightmarish.
"I need you to step back," she said, quiet but firm.
"Oh you do, do you?" Three scoffed. Shara's temper flared, a sharp retort on her tongue.
Her head throbbed, a spike of pain once more reverberating through her skull.
"Do you have any idea how it embarrassing it is to be dragged into Keeper's office..."
"Yes, actually," Shara muttered, resisting the urge to wince at the pain in her skull. She didn't want Three to think it was due to her rebuke.
"Just to be told what an absolute idiot the new Watcher is?" Three slapped a hand to her forehead. "Damn it, girl. If you don't know something, then ask! Did you forget where you are?" the other Watcher looked disgusted, and her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Or did you think we were all just one big happy family? You do know why you're here, right? Because we'd still have an actually competent Watcher in your place otherwise."
In context...yes, it was a little embarrassing when Three said it like that.
"Bloody moron," Three's scowl hadn't faded, but the overwhelming force of her ire seemed to have cooled slightly as she took in the mixture of emotions flooding Two's face.
It's not like you actually did your job. Your idea of orientation was to insult me and tell me to get to work. Remarkably like now, actually.
Shara didn't trust herself to speak. She would have been livid, but the pounding headache forming behind her eyes told her she wouldn't be able to handle more than aggravated at the moment.
The absolute nerve...
But aren't you supposed to be better than these people? You shouldn't need to be told what's obvious to them.
The treacherous little voice in her head thoroughly derailed her, and Shara felt her stomach drop. Lowering her eyes, she muttered, "I've already spoken with Keeper myself. He's cleared the matter up. I don't need you over here."
"Apparently you do," Three retorted. The other woman scoffed, shaking her head. "Don't embarrass me again, Watcher. I don't have time to hold your hand." Without bothering to wait for a reply, she turned abruptly and stalked off.
Fort, and a few others, were staring at Two.
"Er, don't listen to her," Fort smiled reassuringly at Shara. "It's just cause you're new. Three's always like that to new people. I wouldn't take it personally. You're doing great, Watcher. Two thumbs up," he held up both thumbs, his smile morphed into a boyish grin.
"Actually, some of us are going for drinks later, if you'd like to join..."
"I've got a lot of work to do, Agent Forty-Six," she replied, more sharply than she'd meant to. Fort faltered, and Shara felt a flash of guilt. In a gentler tone, she added hesitantly, "Maybe another day?"
"Yeah...yeah, sure," casting one last, uncertain look at her over his shoulder, he left. Shara didn't really know him, and she certainly wouldn't consider him a friend. But still, his absence exacerbated her gloominess.
Headquarters was practically silent when she left, only the skeleton crew remaining. A maintenance worker smiled at her when Shara passed her on the way out, and the Watcher tilted her head in acknowledgement, briefly noting the small scar under the woman's right eye before her attention was snagged by the warmth of the jungle air washing over her once more.
[Classified]: Imperial Prison Colony
Region: Unknown
Clink!
Screak!
The sharp point of the pickaxe bounced off the wall of the cavern, nearly impaling its wielder in the leg. The green eyed man laughed loudly, drawing confused and annoyed looks from his compatriots in the tunnels. Reaching up, he patted the wall of rock and smiled pleasantly.
"Going to be difficult today, eh?"
The former Watcher Two readjusted his grip on the tool, raising it above his head to strike.
"08-13! Get your ass over here!"
The guard's harsh voice easily overpowered the cacophony of metal hitting rock that had begun to drum itself into the former Watcher's brain at night. Maurkenn turned his pleasant smile on the hulking giant of a man and let his pickaxe clatter to the ground. Placing his hands on his lower back, he made a show of stretching dramatically.
"Hello, Guard 07-12. Always a pleasure."
The guard spat at his feet.
"Get your ass over here, 08-13. I'm not in the mood."
"Lose at pazaak again?" Maurkenn's query was cut off as the sentinel shoved him roughly forward, bashing the right side of his body against the door frame in the process.
"Oops," 07-12 muttered darkly.
"No worries," Maurkenn's cheerful demeanor never faltered, even at the sour look in the guard's eyes. Dusting himself off with a dainty motion, he added, "I've certainly faced worse, wouldn't you agree?" he finished this off with a chuckle of good humor.
"Don't tempt me, 13. The Empire's not going to keep you alive forever. I doubt anyone would notice if I chopped a few months off your sentence."
"Who would you threaten then?" Maurkenn's smile turned sharp.
"Plenty of scum in here."
"No one quite so interesting though, I reckon?"
07-12 punched him in the stomach before hauling his wheezing form through a door and depositing him firmly in a chair. As another guard rushed to bind the former Watcher's hands, the first replied, "You've got five minutes."
Both guards left, and Maurkenn drew in a shaky breath. It was cold on the asteroid colony, and when he exhaled, a small cloud of steam lingered about his lips. His side ached, but he didn't think the blow had been enough to break anything or damage any organs. He'd gotten pretty good at telling the difference these last few months. Flexing his fingers, he tested the restraints out of habit.
"Trying to run away again, Maurkenn?"
Green eyes flickered up with the precision of twin knives, their gaze thrown at the concealed form he'd somehow missed in the corner. The overhead lighting hadn't been turned on. That, or it was busted. Maurkenn wouldn't have been surprised if it was the latter. He doubted this room got much use. Dim luminescence from work lights filtering through the triple paned glass across from him provided the only source of illumination. His eyes didn't take long to find the speaker though, primarily because the individual wanted to be seen.
"Playing your tricks again, Mother?" he grinned cheekily, ignoring the such rush of blood pounding behind his ears.
"You always were the least promising of my children, Maurkenn," the voice was flat, devoid of any lingering maternal affection.
"You can always count on me, Mother," he quipped, teeth flickering in the dull light. His hands stilled, his shoulders loosening as he adopted a confidently relaxed pose. His eyes remained sharp, however, tracking the figure's every move in the darkness.
In the same tone of disappointed acceptance, the hooded woman replied, "At least you're consistent."
"Careful," he licked his lips nervously, teeth bared in challenge. "That almost sounded like a compliment."
"I don't make a habit of handing out compliments to soothe hurt feelings, Maurkenn. You should know that."
Her son's harsh bark of laughter was confirmation enough. "You really know how to spin a narrative, don't you? 'Handing out compliments'," he scoffed. Despite his words, there was no anger in his eyes, only a nervous, almost feral excitement tinged with fear. Something dangerous and unpredictable lurked beneath the normally boisterous exterior.
"Come to say goodbye, Mother?"
His sneer faded and he froze as the lightsaber ignited. The beam cast his face in a wash of scarlet light as the blade came to rest by his cheek.
"Goodbye, Maurkenn," his mother replied drolly.
"Wait...wait, wait, wait!" he could feel his flesh burning, the skin of his cheek beginning to redden and blister as it would under too much sun.
"What is it, Maurkenn?" the Sith asked, mockingly patient as the man resisted the urge to pull at his restraints and squirm away from the heat. The words themselves betrayed his moment of weakness, and he would have swallowed them as soon as they'd left his mouth. Pride and fear warred together with hate.
Suddenly, it all clicked.
"You didn't come to kill me, Mother," his voice cracked as he tried desperately not to start laughing.
It was so damn funny, though. So wonderfully ironic.
"There are..." he chuckled, "...there are so many witnesses."
"No one cares about you anymore, Maurkenn."
"They never did," he scoffed, unbothered by the comment in the slightest. His eyes gleamed calculatingly.
"I certainly didn't come to free you."
"No," his teeth gleamed once more as his lips drew back in a smile.
"But you need something."